Thursday, September 16, 2010

Jack Higgins is the pseudonym of Harry Patterson (b. 1929), the New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.

Born in England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The political and religious turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served in the Household Cavalry, stationed along the East German border.

Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, Patterson began writing novels. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists.

Patterson lives in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.This was supplied via Open Road Media